When did I become a cabbie? When did my schedule become so overbooked with my son's activities that I can only think one day at a time lest my head explode? My husband and I have to review our collective schedule once or twice a day to make sure we don't miss anything. Baseball clinic, hockey practice, soccer practice, CCD, hockey practice, soccer practice, baseball practice, hockey tournament, baseball practice, soccer game, repeat! I am soooo glad I didn't push him to join Cub Scouts or take piano lessons!! As it is, we're to the point where we need to clone all three of us to keep everything fully covered.
Why don't we make him drop one or two sports, you ask? Well, we've been waiting for him to hate one or to suck at one and so far neither has happened. Hockey all-star two years in a row. Travel soccer team member. Baseball all-star last year. He may not be the best on a team but he's always one of the best. (Although, honestly, he was by far the best on his hockey team this year. ☺ ) He's the kid the coaches love because he listens and not only does he listen, he follows their advice and does what they suggest. He doesn't goof around at practice. He's the kid sitting on the bench watching the game while everyone else is goofing around, so that he knows what's going on when it's his turn to go in. He's talented but doesn't act like he knows it. He's not a ball hog. He'll sacrifice his own goal to pass to a kid who hasn't scored all season.
At home, he practices constantly. We don't tell him to. He does it on his own because he just loves these sports so much. He has a mini half-rink in the basement for street hockey and he plays with a miniature net in the kitchen. He practices his soccer kicks alone in the backyard. He pitches to himself, bats, and then runs and tries to get himself out. His dedication and perseverance never cease to amaze me.
So, given all that, how can we deny him? He's our only child (my step-daughter is staring down her 20th birthday, so she's no longer a "child") so we have the time to dedicate to him and trucking him all over the township for practices and beyond for games. Does it wear thin sometimes? Of course. Do I enjoy sitting out in the cold watching his games? No way. Do I sit there anyway? You betcha. I don't want to miss a moment.
